A Final Farewell
by EJ Daniels
Summary: Many years have passed with Yumi & Sachiko having settled into their golden years when something happens. They find they must bid a final farewell to a close and dear friend. This is a One-Shot offering.


**A Final Farewell**

The morning dawned just as it always had and would continue to do after this day and until such time as the sun or planet ceased to exist. A faint lightening of the distant horizon as day encroached upon the lands where night held tenuous sway at best. The dark solitude of the night embraced the dawn's advances, much as amorous lovers will, his attention held firmly by the wielder of his heart. Dawn, in her soft and glorious beauty blushed, a soft pinkness across the heavens that enhanced her already dazzling beauty. For long moments they stood there, the darkness and the light, lovers ever chasing after the other, always within reach yet never able to touch. Never shall the two be as one. Then, as if for the first time ever, the dawn smiled and a blazing glorious light shined forth as the sun crested the distant horizon. Night, pierced through the heart, bowed and gave way before such beauty as his loves warming smile.

Yumi reached over and turned off the alarm clock on the night stand next to her bed. As she was bringing her hand back from its task it chanced to pass through an errant ray of sunlight that slipped past the curtains and stole across her bed. The hand before her eyes was aged and wrinkled. The veins running in a crisscrossing and interlacing network just beneath the near translucent skin were clearly visible. _I look like a road map_, she mused to herself. Several years ago brown spots had started to appear randomly about her skin. Alarmed at first she now accepted them as just another characteristic of living a long life. "Where has the time gone," Yumi said softly aloud to herself. What once had been a warm and youthful hand, quick to offer aid and help to a friend, now looked old and frail. It looked more in need of aid than in being capable of extending it these days.

Yumi sighed softly as she rolled to her side and sat up trying to ignore the aches and pains which seemed to increase every morning. Standing, she lifted the robe from the end of the bed and slipped it on before heading towards the bathroom. As the elder woman passed the mirror on the way she paused and regarded her own reflection. Brown hair, just now starting to show signs of greying, was pulled back and done into a long thick braid which was draped over one shoulder to hang down across her chest. It had been so long since she had done more than trim her hair that it now reached to below her waist. A face with wrinkles and spots held within it a pair of warm brown eyes that still shone brightly. A nose that hadn't changed in the past forty years resting above a set of lips that were quick to smile, offer a kind word or pleasant greeting. "Not too bad for sixty two," she said to herself with a smile that still revealed all of her own teeth.

Satisfied with what she saw she continued on into the bathroom and went through her morning routine. The simple normalcy of the routine was settling and comforting, like slipping into a well-worn pair of jeans or an old pair of shoes that you just couldn't bring yourself to part with just yet. A quick shower followed by a short soak in a hot bath did a lot to relieve any soreness and stiffness in her muscles and joints. When the bath was done and drained she wiped it out even though she knew the maid was coming today. The Fukuzawa Architectural Firm her father had started was doing well with offices in six major Japanese cities as well as one located in Dubai, an emirate within the United Arab Emirates, which was run directly by Yuuki, her younger brother. It had been her father that had seen the opportunity and opened the office there. The Dubai office grossed more income than all the other offices combined. Still, though she was financially secure she preferred to live a simple life and so only had a maid service which came three times a week to clean the house she owned. She did all her own cooking as well as shopping, a fact she was very proud of.

Yumi walked back into her bedroom and took a seat before the mirror of her dressing table. With what was now practiced ease she applied what little makeup she used and began the task of brushing out her hair. The years, much like all life, had been both kind and cruel to her. She had married young, while in her second year at the Lillian University, though she had waited till she graduated to have her first and only child, Yukiko. Life had been good for many years and she, along with her husband had watched as their daughter had grown into a bright, intelligent and sophisticated young woman. Yumi was often heard to comment how Yukiko reminded her more of Sachiko-sama then herself at that age. Their daughter attended Lillian's Girls Academy and was herself a Rosa Chinensis during her time there. In Yukiko's second year of college she had become pregnant and had to drop out of school in order to find work to support her and her baby. The father of the child didn't stay around long enough to see their daughter born. Yumiko, named after Yumi herself, was born on New Year's Day. Yukiko moved back home with her baby and both her parents helped to care for the new born infant. One late evening during the rainy season Yumi's husband had gone to pick up their daughter from work and it was the last she had ever seen of either of them. A drunk driver, poor visibility, and rain covered roads were all it took to rob Yumi of two of the most precious people in her life.

The loss was a devastating blow to the fun loving and often carefree woman Yumi had grown into. Already at the age of forty five she was suddenly faced with the challenge of raising a one year old child on her own while trying to deal with the loss of her husband and daughter. A dear and longtime friend stepped in and after some discussion had adopted Yumiko. The friend had been unable to have children of her own and so the infant was as if Maria-sama had stepped in personally and answered the woman's prayers. The years passed and Yumi assumed responsibility for her father's business as he retired due to health reasons and then passed away a couple of years later. Miki, her mother, moved back to Yamanashi and into her mother's house finding it too painful to remain in the Fukuzawa family home. It had been many years now and life had fallen into a comfortable routine of work and home, time spent with friends and family when possible. While Yuuki had married a sweet Arab woman named Jamile and now called Dubai his home, he still managed to return to Japan at least once a year to visit her and their mother. The years had been kind to Yuuki and his wife, blessing them with a son and a daughter who were near finishing their college educations now.

Yumi gathered her flowing chestnut hair behind her and taking up the black ribbon setting on the table top tied it around the captured hair and then into a bow. After a quick glance in the mirror, satisfied with what she saw there, the aging woman stood and walked over and selected the clothes she had chosen to wear that day. The black clothing felt comfortable and warm like the embrace of an old friend who you've not seen for a long time and then suddenly encounter by accident. Thinking of the events ahead of her she smiled sadly for she was to say farewell to an old friend. This would be the last day she would see her and though their visits had been infrequent and far apart her affection had never waned over the years. Once dressed she retrieved her cell phone from the nightstand, selected the correct entry in the address book and then pushed the call button and waited for her call to connect.

**-oOo-**

A smooth milky arm slithered out from under the warm covers and reaching to the nightstand next to the bed captured the device that was ringing, pulling it back under the covers and to the owner of the arm itself. In a short moment the ringing stopped followed by a very muffled "I'm up." Less than a minute passed when the ringing noise once more could be heard, however now it came from beneath the covers. The occupant of the large canopied bed dared to pull the covers from over her head this time before answering the phone and bringing it to her ear. "I said I'm up!" Sachiko's voice held a note of irritation that the caller was all too familiar with.

"Buried under the covers with the curtains closed does not mean you're up Sachiko-sama," Yumi countered with, knowing the older woman so well she could even picture the slightly amused, slightly annoyed look on Sachiko's face.

"My but aren't we being formal today?" Sachiko smiled in spite of herself knowing that her dearest friend on the other end was scrambling hard to find just the right reply.

Yumi finally replied with, "It feels like it is that kind of day." Sachiko had to agree considering what the day held in store for them. "Do you think the others will come?" Yumi inquired, the uncertainty evident in her voice through the phone. Over the years since high school she had grown apart from her friends with the exception of Sachiko. The two women were inseparable and would always be a part of the others life so long as they both drew breath.

Sachiko stared up at the canopy above her bed wanting to reassure her friend but found that she couldn't. "I don't know Yumi," she finally managed to reply with. "I'll be there as soon as I can," Sachiko offered. "If nothing else the two of us will be present for her passing. She won't be left alone, I promise you."

"Arigato. You had better get moving or you'll be late," Yumi chided. "Stop lying in bed and get up already."

"You should learn to respect your elder's better, impudent girl!" Sachiko retorted with in a playful manner, however she none the less sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"Hey Sachiko?" Yumi's suddenly serious and tender voice came through the receiver after a short pause of silence.

"Yes, Yumi?" Sachiko replied back in a soft and gentle voice already knowing what was coming next having grown accustomed to it over the years.

"I love you, Sachiko. I just want you to know that," were the next words from the younger brunette on the other end of the call.

"I love you too, Yumi," Sachiko replied with a mixture of sadness and love. Ever since Yumi had lost her husband and daughter in the car accident she had taken to telling those she loved just how much they meant to her every chance she got. When you lose someone dear to you, you can't help but feel you never told them enough just how much they meant to you and how much you loved them. Yumi meant to ensure that she never felt that way again. "I'll see you there, Yumi," Sachiko added and then dropped the call after Yumi said her goodbye. Sachiko's heart went out to the woman as it always did, living in that house all by herself. She had asked Yumi to move into her house with her and Suguru but the younger Lillian Alumna gently refused her offer each time in favor of remaining in the house that had been the home to her husband and daughter both.

With a long leisurely stretch Sachiko finally stood and made her way to the large bathroom, her baby blue nightgown shifting over a body the years had been generous to. Once there she began her usual morning routine which started with a shower and then a long soak in the tub. The former Rosa Chinensis quickly removed her gown to reveal a body still shaped essentially the same as it had been upon leaving high school. Sachiko looked down and smiled a bit vainly, pleased at what she saw. Her amply endowed bosom, unlike most women her age, had only just started to show the pull of gravity. A healthy diet and regular exercise, especially as she grew older, accounted for most of her current physical condition. _Mother's good genes no doubt helped_, Sachiko thought to herself as she turned on the shower and stepped beneath the water once it was warm enough. Thinking of her mother brought a warm smile to her face. The elder Ogasawara, while not as active these days as she had been in Sachiko's youth, would soon be celebrating her eighty first birthday and was planning a trip overseas for the event.

The only daughter and heiress to the Ogasawara Conglomerate had finally given into the pressure of her parents and married Kashiwagi Suguru while in her third year at Lillian University. It had actually been Yumi that had talked her into it, stating that if she ever wanted to be her own woman then once she had inherited the social and financial backing of her Grandfather's company she could do whatever she wanted with her life. Yumi had surprised them all, getting married two months prior to the raven haired beauty's own wedding. When the time finally arrived and the elder Ogasawara retired and then passed away, Sachiko inherited everything. Rather than be a quiet and dutiful wife sitting at home, she had grasped the reins of the company and taken charge of it herself with Suguru beside her to help her should she need it. If her Sofu wanted her to have it then she would honor him by doing the best that she could to carry on in his memory. Under her leadership the company had grown and seen some of its most profitable years to date.

Suguru, true to his word, let Sachiko live her life however she wanted to. While they shared a house, they had separate rooms and lived apart and yet together. Due to the nature of their relationship there were no children forthcoming which allowed Sachiko to focus entirely upon her work. Sachiko had been there for her Petite Sœur's darkest hour and had remained by Yumi's side till the younger woman could stand on her own once more. Already at the age of forty six and married for twenty three years, the older woman knew her time was quickly passing, so as soon as Yumi was on the path to recovery Sachiko hired a lawyer and pursued adoption so that she might have a child of her own.

Shortly after receiving her daughter, Sachiko handed over the running of the Ogasawara holdings to Suguru. The new mother did this so that she could spend all of her free time with her daughter, not because she had to but rather because she wanted to. The years passed far too swiftly and her daughter grew into a beautiful young lady and was even now attending Lillian as she herself had done. Just thinking of her daughter caused the raven haired woman to smile gently with love and pride.

Slipping from the shower Sachiko quickly dried off and made her way back to her bedroom. Once there she dressed in a dark grey reserved looking business suit that was appropriate for a woman of her age and station. "I hate having to go to these meetings," she mumbled to herself as she quickly added the change of clothes she had select to wear to meet Yumi later that afternoon to an overnight bag she was bringing with her. Just as she was glancing around the room to insure she had everything there came a knock at her door and a maid informed her that the car was waiting to take her to the corporate meeting. She thanked the maid and picked up her overnight bag just as she felt her cell phone in her pocket vibrate. Taking the phone out she looked at the display and then opened the text message which was from Yumi. '_Please don't be late. Love Y._' she read the message silently. "I swear that woman worries too much!" Sachiko quickly replied back that she would be on time and then closed the phone and walked from the room.

**-oOo-**

Yumi glanced down at her phone and clicked the image to open the text message. '_You worry too much. I'll be there as soon as I can. Love S._'. The brunette smiled and pocketed her phone as the bus was pulling up to the curb. Yumi boarded the bus, using her pass for the trip, and took a vacant seat near one of the windows. While she could have driven her car or even had one come pick her up, she preferred the simple things in life such as taking public transportation. The bus ride always gave her a chance to relax and collect her thoughts as it rolled from stop to stop. This day was different from any other as she would have to bid a final farewell to a friend who would always hold a special place in her heart.

Eventually the bus reached the stop nearest to the Fukuzawa office and Yumi disembarked along with two others who immediately headed in the opposite direction from the older woman. Yumi walked the short distance to the office building her firm had designed and now rented space in. With a smile and wave to the security guard she entered the building and took the elevator to the correct floor. The next several hours passed in review of several key reports as well as a brief call to Yuuki in the Dubai office. A light tapping at the door interrupted her thoughts on a current proposal for a new high rise condominium for the downtown area. "Come in," Yumi said in response to the knocking.

"Pardon me, Takashi Ojou-sama," stammered a young well-dressed man in his early twenties. "It's time," he informed her. "If you like I can have the company car take you?"

Yumi looked at the watch on her wrist, a device almost as outdated as she herself was, and noted the time. _What is his name_, she pondered recalling the young man was a new intern recently hired directly out of university. Looking up Yumi smiled warmly. "Thank you Koga-san that would be greatly appreciated. How is that pretty wife and adorable baby of yours doing," she further inquired.

Koga Jin had just started working for the Fukuzawa firm earlier that year but when his new born baby had a heart problem and he didn't have the means to cover the cost of the lifesaving operation Yumi had stepped in and paid for it as well as the hospital stay. The aging Fukuzawa told the new parents that it was a baby present and they needn't worry about repaying it. Koga-san's smile widened at the mention of his family. "My wife is well, Ojou-sama and Reika is an impatient and demanding little woman," he offered with a soft chuckle and a shake of his head, the love in his voice clearly stating he didn't mind.

Yumi returned his smile, glade that everything had turned out well for the young couple and beautiful little girl. "She is as her name sake says, a beautiful petal, Koga-san. If there is anything she ever needs please do not hesitate to let me know." Since her own daughters passing Yumi had come to think of herself as the obāsan, or grandmother, to all the children of her employees.

"Takashi Ojou-sama is far too kind," the young man said with a deep bow. "If you'll excuse me I'll go see to the car." Yumi waved him off with one hand and a warm smile as she finished reading over the report and made some hasty comments in the margins before slipping the report back into its folder and setting it aside.

Leaving her office she waved goodbye to several people and made her way down the elevator and to the waiting car. Once seated in the car the driver quickly pulled out into traffic and headed to their destination. Sitting in the back seat of the sedan she couldn't help but wonder just how much their destination had changed. _Has it aged as I have_, she pondered silently, _or has it remained timeless in this every changing world?_ The last time she had been there was when her own daughter was in her third year of high school, for Yukiko's graduation ceremony. Yumi blinked several times rapidly as she felt her eyes begin to well up with tears. _Please be there Sachiko! I don't know if I can do this without you._

All too soon the familiar surrounding wall came into view as the car rolled slowly down the street. Turning around the sedan came to a comfortable stop and the driver got out and hurried around to open the door for her. Yumi slipped from the backset of the car and stood there for a long moment looking at the main gate to Lillian's Girls Academy. "You can return to the office," Yumi informed the driver. "I have other arrangements for getting home." The driver bowed respectfully after closing the backdoor and then climbed back into the driver's seat and pulled away from the curb.

With slow hesitant steps she advanced till she was just outside of the gates but not yet onto the school grounds. Looking down at her clothes she straightened her collar and then untied and retied the white sailor's scarf. She had thought it would be nostalgic to wear her old Lillian uniform but now she just felt rather silly in it. The dark material did feel comfortable against her skin, like a well-worn and fitting glove that slips gentle over your hand to settle just perfectly into place. Yumi could feel her pulse begin to race and her palms start to sweat. A quick glance around the immediate area inside the gate didn't reveal a raven haired beauty there to rescue her. "I just knew she would be late," the frustrated woman mumbled under her breath. "I...I can't do it," she finally had to admit to herself. There were just too many memories of Yukiko here for her to face them on her own.

"Well, are you going to just stand there all day gathering wool or are you going to enter?" suddenly asked a voice directly behind her with a hint of mirth to it. Turning around, startled as she had not heard the other person walk up behind her, she raised one hand to her mouth to stifle a gasp. Standing there was a little elderly lady who was certainly short of five feet in height. Hair, silvered with age was pulled tight and done up into a traditional bun on the top back of her head. Brown eyes still sharp with intelligence gazed at her with a twinkle of humor as a smile shone brightly in Yumi's direction.

"Gokigenyou , Obāsan," Yumi exclaimed. "Forgive me for you startled me."

The older woman waved her words away with one hand. "If you're entering you can give me a hand," she said as she reached forth one hand wrinkled with age. "If you're not, then get out of my way. At my age I don't have the time to spare while you decide." Taking a step towards Yumi the little lady laid her hand on Yumi's arm and steered her through the gates before Yumi could protest. "Let's go," she said as she shuffled forward more dragging Yumi with her than using her for support. The two of them passed through the gates and Yumi quickly fell into step with the elder lady who shot her a sideways glance once or twice. "If you don't mind me saying so," the elderly lady began with. "Aren't you a little old to be attending high school," she inquired glancing at Yumi's Lillian uniform.

"I…I thought…," Yumi started to say then trailed off as she felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment.

"If you have something to say," the granny interrupted her with, "then say it clearly and to the point. If you beat around the bush I may turn to dust before you get it out!"

"I thought it would be nostalgic to wear my old school uniform," Yumi quickly explained as she watched her feet walking down the gingko lined pathway. For all her sixty two years Yumi suddenly felt like she was back in high school and was being scolded by her Onee-sama, Sachiko-sama. _Where are you Sachiko?_ The two walked along slowly for several long moments before coming to the end of the lane where it turned to the left and to the right. Before them was the statue of Maria-sama. Both woman clasped their hands together and prayed. "Where can I take you, Obāsan," Yumi inquired once they were both finished praying.

"To the same place you're going," the elderly woman replied. Cocking her head to one side and regarding Yumi skeptically she arched one brow in question, "You do know the way don't you?"

Yumi couldn't help but smile and offer her arm to the shorter lady. "I believe so," she assured her playfully. "I have been there a time or two." Once the elderly woman had taken her arm she walked beside her. "Takashi Yumi," the young brunette offer.

The granny looked up at her for a long moment before replying. "Ochi Akahana, though back then I was known as Sato Akahana, Rosa Gigantea." The elder of the pair chuckled good naturedly. "Though that was some considerable time ago," she confessed. "Showa 49 to be exact."

Yumi started to do the math in her head but couldn't believe the number she was coming up with. "Wait that would make you..." she started to say but was cut off again.

"…older than dirt," Ochi-sama said waving a hand in front of her as if to push away the words Yumi had been prepared to speak. "Don't start tossing numbers at me young girl or my body might realize just how old it is and decide to stop working." Ochi-sama chuckled at her own words. "At my age you have to fool yourself into thinking you're younger than what you actually are."

Yumi smiled at the older woman's words as they walked along slowly. Despite everything, Sachiko not being here as promised, she found herself enjoying the older woman's company. "Wait, Ochi-sama you said your first name was Akahana?" Yumi was certain that the meaning of the older woman's name was Red Rose.

Ochi-sama laughed once again. "I know. It's kind of ironic isn't it? Here my parents went through all the trouble to name me that and I turned out to be a white rose instead." Once more they both chuckled softly. "It just goes to show you Takashi-san, you never know what life has in store for you." The two women walked in silence for a while down the pathway that would lead them to their destination. "Back in my day almost none of this was here mind you," Ochi-sama stated. "There was only one school building then which had three floors. The top floor was for the third year students while the second was for the second year students and the bottom floor was left for the first year students. The administration building sat over that way," she said pointing off to the left. "Along with a small greenhouse and gymnasium."

Yumi glanced around at all the current buildings that made up Lillian's Girls Academy and found it hard to imagine that there was a time when almost none of them had been there. "What of the Rose Mansion?"

Ochi-sama's eyes took on a distant look and it was clear from her voice when she answered that she was looking back within distant memories to a time when she was young and the world was bright and new. "It was my second year as a high school student that they built the new administration building as well as the elementary and middle school buildings. Before that time the Rose mansion was used for storage." Ochi-sama sighed recalling those gone by years with affection. "It was in my third year that I and my fellow Roses convinced the school administration to allow the Yamayurikai to use the building for our meetings. Back then we just wanted a place out from underneath the Sisters scrutiny where we could be ourselves," Ochi-sama said with a grin. "The sisters of the Lillian cloister were much stricter back in our day I'll wager."

"Most of the teaching staff is now professionals with the only Sister still involved with the school itself being the Head Mother," Yumi informed the elder woman and they slowly moved along.

Ochi-sama nodded slightly at her words. "When I was in high school, all of the teachers were Sisters. Black habits as far as the eye could see." Ochi-sama shivered recalling any number of times she had felt the sting of a ruler across her knuckles for speaking out of turn or too loudly. "It is nice to see though that the uniform hasn't changed much from when I went here," she added glancing again at Yumi's attire.

Yumi couldn't help but blush in embarrassment once more at the mention of her Lillian uniform which she wore. To hide her red cheeks she glanced about the empty campus. "It seems so quiet here with all the students gone," she stated. It was the first week of summer vacation and hence the campus was empty except for the few staff members that needed to come in and do some work.

Ochi-sama only nodded as they walked along. Ahead of them the Rose mansion came into view and the two of them remained silent till they were standing before the building itself. A hand wrinkled with age, which shook noticeably, reached out and came to rest against the wooden door frame. "Hello old friend," Yumi heard the elder woman say reverently with such love in her voice. "I see the years have not been kind to you Dear," Ochi-sama stated looking across the front of the two storied building and noticing the signs of neglect and disuse. "How long has she been like this?"

Yumi replied, "She hasn't been used for over a decade the school said," Yumi replied glancing up towards the second story windows. For a moment she could have sworn that she saw a young girl with pig tails, a much younger version of herself, staring back down at her. "So many memories," Yumi whispered softly to herself recalling all the time she had spent within this building with her friends. In a heartbeat those distant memories seemed like they were just yesterday. Perhaps it was just a trick of the wind or her mind playing games on her but for a moment she once more heard the soft sounds of laughter and voices her heart recognized as Yoshino's and Shimako's.

"She remembers," Ochi spoke softly next to her drawing Yumi's attention back to the woman with her. It didn't surprise Yumi in the least when she saw the tears slowly making their way down the older woman's cheeks. It was only then that she realized her own cheeks were wet as well. "She remembers them all."

"You mean all the Yamayurikai members that spent time here," Yumi inquired of the older woman next to her trying to understand what she meant.

"Yes and no," Ochi-sama replied never taking her eyes from the building her hand still rested upon. "I'm sure she remembers them as well but that's not what I meant. Before this was the Rose Mansion, before it was used as a storage shed it was something much more." Yumi regarded the former Rosa Gigantea with a quizzical look upon her face. "Feel her girl! Touch her and tell me what you feel," Ochi-sama instructed.

Yumi reached out and laid one hand on the wooden doorframe before her. The aged worn wood felt warm beneath her touch. _It must have absorbed the warmth of the sun_, she reasoned. Closing her eyes she waited and concentrated on her palm, feeling her skin where it caressed the time worn wood. As she stood there she felt her pulse and the longer she concentrated the stronger she could hear the pulse, but that was all she heard or felt. "I…I don't understand Ochi-sama," Yumi finally had to admit in confusion.

The silver haired granny reached out with her free hand and patted Yumi's arm reassuringly. "That's alright," she said. "She's tired and knows her time is at an end. Old and tired like me," Ochi-sama said with a weak grin and a tired sigh. "Do you think it would be possible to find an old lady such as myself a seat?"

Yumi answered, "There are some chairs over there I noticed. The school probably put them out for today."

"Be a good girl and get me one would you?" Ochi-sama asked. Yumi fearful for the older woman's health quickly went and retrieved two folding chairs, one for Ochi-sama and one for herself. "Oh that's much better," the silver haired short woman said once she had seated herself in a chair Yumi had placed within the shade of a nearby tree. "That was a long walk from the front gate I guess. Funny, it never seemed that far when I went to school here."

"Ochi-sama," Yumi ventured to ask after she had seated herself. "You spoke as if you knew what the Rose Mansion was prior to being the Rose Mansion?"

Ochi-sama nodded slightly to indicate that she knew. "My third year here I did a research paper on the school itself. I was brash and curious in my youth and had a desire to know it all you see," the elder Ochi explained with a grin, seeming to regain some of her strength. "I was known as a trouble maker in my day. Never happy with the way things were and wanting to change the world. I received permission finally to read the old archives at the cloister. Personally I think they finally relented as they were tired of me pestering them about it," she confided with a mischievous grin.

Yumi returned the grin. "So what did you find?"

Ochi-sama raised a hand and waved it about as if to encompass everything about them. "What is all of this?" Ochi-sama looked to Yumi waiting for her to answer.

Yumi looked about them, taking in the school buildings, the grounds and the distant walls that marked the edge of the school grounds, the chapel as well as the distant cloister. "Lillian's Girls Academy," she finally replied unable to determine if the elder woman wanted that response or had been expecting a different one. Ochi-sama grinned and suddenly waved her hand at the Rose Mansion. Yumi looked at the building and then looked back at the silver haired granny sitting next to her in the shade of the tree and then back at the building once again. "You mean….," her words trailed off as her mind tried to process what she was being told.

"I give you the very first Lillian's Girls Academy," Ochi-sama said with one hand still raised to indicate the Rose Mansion in the distance. "When it was founded in Meiji 34 there was nothing here but the cloister and a small chapel. There were very few students as times were different and children were needed to work the rice fields or help around the house or farm. Only those families who were well off and could afford not to have their children work sent their daughters here to be educated by the sisters of the cloister. Being nuns they wouldn't take in any boys so only the girls were allowed to attend. Even then Christianity was new and not understood or well received. This single building was more than adequate for its needs for a long while," Ochi-sama continued to explain. "Wealthy families from far off distant prefects soon began to send their daughters here. The nuns had a dormitory and the girls would be boarded there for the entire school year. For many of them it was their first time away from home and the safety and security of their families. It was due to this that the Sœur system was developed by the girls themselves. Being attached to a Catholic convent meant that they all had rosaries and soon it became the fashion to present them to the younger girl you would take under your wing. By this means there soon wasn't a need for the sisters to have strict rules as the older girls saw to it that the younger ones were cared for and instructed on how to be a good Onee-sama so that one day they could pass on the very things they were being taught."

Suddenly it all made sense to Yumi. Lillian had always been a school for the well bred daughters of well off families who could afford to have their daughters educated. The Sisters were strict teachers and hence the learning level was well above par of other schools. Young girls, torn away from their families and left alone turned to each other for comfort and guidance which later became the Sœur system that still existed to this day. The Rose Mansion was the original school house where it all had started…and today was the day it would be torn down. "I…I had no clue," Yumi stammer in disbelief.

"I doubt anyone else still alive knows," Ochi-sama replied with a sad smile. "People rarely question what's right before them. They see what they want to see and take what they have for granted. In this world where everything and anything is just a click of a button away why worry about such things as history," she asked with a sad shake of her head. "These young people are so quick to tear down the old to make room for the new that they don't bother to realize that the old is their history, what has made them what they are today." Ochi-sama glanced over at Yumi as if just realizing she was there. "Don't mind me, I'm just an old woman who's tired and has been around too long and seen too much."

Yumi slipped her arm around the older woman's shoulder to comfort her. "I know now, Ochi-sama. I won't forget and I'll make certain that others remember as well," Yumi promised her intently.

The silver haired woman looked up into Yumi's brown eyes and held her gaze for a long time before nodding once accepting the younger woman's words as truth. "Well, I think I've rested long enough. I don't think anyone else is coming. Shall we move a little closer and pay our last respects to the old girl?" Yumi smiled and nodded once as she rose and helped the aged woman to her feet. With Yumi's help they moved to within twenty feet of the structure which had seen a life time of service. Ochi-sama stopped for a long moment and took a deep breath and stepped forward one pace before raising her head and looking directly at the aged building. "Sato Akahana, Rosa Gigantea, Showa 49," she intoned formally.

"Fukuzawa Yumi, Rosa Chinensis, Heisei 19," the brunet clearly stated from her place directly behind the silver haired granny.

"Ogasawara Sachiko, Rosa Chinensis, Heisei 18," the raven hair woman boldly stated stepping to Yumi's side and slipping her hand into that of the brunettes and entwining their fingers.

Yumi's eyes grew big as she felt her hand held and she heard the woman next to her. "O…Onee-sama," she stammered, surprised to see the woman there as confusion played across her face. So surprised was she that she didn't even realize that her Onee-sama was dressed just as she was.

Sachiko smiled reassuringly and gave the hand in hers a gentle squeeze. "I told you I would be here. Really Yumi! You should have learned to listen to me by now." The merry twinkle in her sapphire eyes belied the reproachful tone of her voice.

"Matsudaira Touko, Rosa Chinensis, Heisei 20," suddenly intoned a voice to Yumi's other side even as she felt her other hand captured and her fingers entwined. Stunned into silence Yumi could do little more than look to her left and her Petite Sœur whom she hadn't seen in several years. Touko smiled lovingly at the woman next to her as her trademark banana curls, worn specifically for this special occasion, swayed back and forth from above her sailor collar and perfectly tied white scarf. Raising a hand she pointed back over Yumi's shoulder causing the older woman to turn and look and what she saw brought tears to her eyes. In small groups or by ones and two's woman were appearing. Some were dressed in their Lillian High school uniforms while others were dressed in dark skirts and dresses. In astonishment Yumi watched as they stepped forward and announced themselves to the mansion before them, along with the position they held and the year they had been a Rose at Lillian.

As Yumi watched more and more women appeared. All told more than seventy former roses arrived for the event. Lost in watching the unexpected turn out of former Roses Yumi failed to notice the young figure weaving her way through the crowd till she suddenly found herself being hugged to the cry of "Grandma!"

Yumi slipped her arms around the younger girl and leaned down to place a gently kiss upon the brown silky hair of the girl in her arms. "Yumiko-chan!" Yumi finally managed to say around the emotional lump in her throat. "I've missed you!" Shifting to hold the girl out at arms distance she looked her over quickly. "I think you've grown a couple of inches since last I saw you," Yumi told her granddaughter.

Yumiko rolled her eyes in such a manner that Yumi felt a stab of pain in her heart as it reminded her of Yukiko who used to roll her eyes the exact same way. "You say that every time you see me Grandma!"

"What am I, chopped squid?" Sachiko whined from next to Yumi. "No hug for your mother?"

Yumiko quickly stepped forward and into her namesakes waiting arms. "Grandma loves me and buys me things," the younger girl said sticking her tongue out at her mother playfully after depositing a kiss on Yumi's cheek.

"And she feeds and clothes you," Yumi said while gently nudging the younger girl into her mother's waiting arms. "As Rosa Chinensis en Bouton you should show your elder more respect," Yumi gently chided though the suppressed mirth in her voice told the youngest girl there that she was just being playful.

"Yes Grandma," Yumiko replied with trying to look chastised and failing miserably.

"Besides," Yumi added playfully, "If you don't hug her she'll just be pouting all day." It was clear her words were in regards to Sachiko who was standing there with her arms wrapped around her daughter.

"I do not pout," The raven haired woman replied with, shooting her Petite Sœur an indignant glare. "I contemplate," she clarified in a calm and assured tone which brought knowing smiles to the other two woman present.

**-oOo-**

Akahana watched as the others had started to arrive and declare themselves and pay homage to the Rose Mansion. Looking behind her briefly she saw that Yumi was now flanked by two women and a young girl and they were all enjoying each other company. _She's such a sweet girl_, the former Rosa Gigantea thought to herself regarding Yumi for a long moment. "It's been a long and emotional day," she said to herself as she walked towards the mansion. Upon reaching the front door of the mansion she seated herself upon the concrete steps carefully. _I'll need help getting up from here_, she realized with a grin and a soft chuckle at how frail she had grown, even given her age. Leaning to the side slightly her shoulder encountered the side of the mansion and she sighed contentedly. Tilting her head to the same side she allowed it to come to rest against the old wooden door frame as her eyes slowly closed. "I'll just rest my eyes for a moment," she told herself in a weary voice.

She could feel the wood against her forehead and sense the slow steady heartbeat which beat within the old building. "I know you're tired," Akahana mumbled to herself as she reached up with a free hand and gently patted the wooden frame next to her in a comforting manner. "You've done your part," she assured the building tenderly. "Let the others handle it from here. Yes, yes I know," she continued to talk soothingly to a voice only she could hear perhaps. "No, no, I won't leave you. I'll stay right here with you till the end." Her head nodded slightly to accent her words of assurance. "I know. I'm tired too. I'll just rest my eyes a moment more with you." Akahana soon drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face and dreams of her days at Lillian floating through her mind like a gentle breeze.

In her mind she saw a much younger version of herself, dressed in a Lillian uniform, walk up to the door of the very same building she now rested against. The building itself appeared newer, as if the very years had been wiped away and she once again stood before the building that was here when she was the Rosa Gigantea. The younger Sato Akahana gently reached out and laid a hand, strong in its youth, along the frame of the door as if in a soft tender caress. "See, I told you I wouldn't leave you alone, old friend," she said in a youthful voice to the building. With a soft sad wishful smile the young girl glanced down at herself, the sleeping elderly woman resting against the side of the building. For a long moment she stood there before turning to face the door before her and reaching out to it. Upon opening the door to the Rose Mansion, Sato Akahana disappearing within as the door closed silently behind her but not before the soft sound of joyful girlish laughter slipped out.

**-oOo-**

Suddenly behind Yumi three voices sounded off one right after the other in quick succession. Too quick for her to react before they were done but what she heard caused her as well as Sachiko and Touko to spin around in disbelief. "Sato Sei, Rosa Gigantea, Heisei 17," rapidly followed by "Torii Eriko, Rosa Foetida, Heisei 17," which was immediately followed by "Mizuno Youko, Rosa Chinensis, Heisei 17," for the hat trick of Roses.

"Onee-sama," Sachiko finally managed to get out, being the first to get over her shock. Hugs and greetings were quickly exchanged by all of them as their smiles shone brightly. Though aged, there was no denying that the former Roses, to Yumi that is how they would always be known, were just as stunning as they ever had been. Youko sported deeper crow's feet at the edges of her eyes but there was a timeless beauty about her that had taken many a girls breath away in high school. Sei's face showed the many years spent filled with laughter and with a smiling countenance; however it did little to daunt her western beauty features. Eriko was perhaps the least changed of the three with only now showing a slight greying of her hair and minor wrinkles here and there.

Yumi had to turn away, overcome with emotions upon seeing everyone there, especially when she had believed that no one else would be coming. Yumi tried as hard as she could but finally even she couldn't hold it back any more. Her bottom lip began to quiver and then it wasn't long till the tears fell like rain drops from her eyes even as she felt two pairs of arms slip around her and hold her tightly. Long moments passed as the three of them cried together sharing her pain. "Yukiko would have so loved to have been here for this," Yumi managed to get out between her sniffles and quiet sobs finally. Yumi's daughter had been a Rosa Chinensis in her own right while attending Lillian and had spent as much time as her mother at the Rose Mansion in her day.

Sachiko tightened her arms around the woman she loved dearly before answering. "She is here Yumi, never doubt that." Yumi smiled through her tears upon hearing her words. _Trust Onee-sama to always know what to say_.

"I miss her too Grandma," Yumiko stated with her arms still around the older woman and her mother. "I never got to know her but she is always with us, in our hearts. So long as she is there she'll never truly be gone." Sachiko smiled lovingly at her daughter agreeing with her words completely. It didn't bother her to hear her daughter speak of loving her biological mother. Sachiko wished that Yumiko could have known Yukiko and had made it a point to tell her about her real mother and show her pictures as early as possible in the young girl's life. The raven haired woman had loved Yumi's daughter as if she were her own and her loss had affected her nearly as much as it had Yumi at the time. It was only her upbringing and Yumi's need for love and support that had allowed her to set those feelings aside at the time. One day she knew she would have to deal with them, but not today, not now when her little sister needed her once more.

Yumi reached out and affectionately ran her finger tips through the brunette's hair. "You're going to make a wonderful Rose, Yumiko-chan." The older woman said to the current Rosa Chinensis en Bouton.

Yumiko replied, "I've had two wonderful teachers," as she stretched up and gave each of the women in her arms a loving kiss on the cheek.

Touko and the Roses rejoined them then seeing that the moment had passed. They stood there and reminisced about past times at the Mansion. It wasn't long before the topic of the conversation turned to the missing Foetida sisters. Yoshino, once held captive by a tiny hole in the wall of her heart had been set free by the operation she underwent her first year of high school. As the years progressed and she grew into a grown woman she displayed a zest for sports and the athletic pursuits which had long been denied her in her youth. To this end she discovered a love for sailing and wherever Yoshino went, Rei was sure to follow. They fondly recalled the two cousins, who had perished in a boating accident off the coast of Japan many years ago. Shimako was spoken of wistfully though they all knew she was safely tucked within the cloister there at Lillian having taken her vows after completing her first year at Lillian University. They all wondered where Noriko might be as the small girl had left to return to her Aunt's house shortly before Shimako took her final vows and no one had ever heard from her again. It was suspected that Noriko's disappearance was in support of her Onee-sama, Shimako. If the dark haired woman was not present then the Onee-sama with the western doll features would be less tempted to forego what had always been her lifelong dream in becoming a nun. Still, Noriko's friends who had also been left behind, worried for her. Yumi privately believed that the memories were too painful for the younger girl and that was why none of them, not even Touko, had heard from her.

As the six of them conversed Yumi noticed Sei glancing around from time to time. Finally after about twenty minutes of this she just had to ask. "Sei-sama," she said to gather the older woman's attention. "Is something the matter? You keep looking about as if you've lost something."

"Not something, but rather someone," Sei replied with a half grin. "My grandmother's mother is here someplace," the former Rosa Gigantea explained. "She can't have run off as she 101. I just need to locate her before I leave so I can drive her home."

"What does she look like," Sachiko asked having listened to the conversation.

"Like a lady that's 101 years old," replied Sei with a slight shrug. "She's really short too."

"Does she have silver hair," Yumi chimed in with suddenly to which Sei nodded confirmation. "Her name wouldn't be Ochi Akahana by any chance would it?"

"Yes!" Sei exclaimed forcefully. "Have you seen here Yumi-chan?"

"She was here just a little while ago," Yumi confirmed as she looked around. "We had a wonderful talk about Lillian. Remind me to tell you about it later," Yumi encouraged her friend even as her brown eyes spotted the object of their search. Tapping Sei on the shoulder Yumi pointed over the former Rosa Gigantea's shoulder to the concrete stairs leading up to the front door of the Rose Mansion and the little silver haired woman sitting upon them. "She was tired after the walk to here from the main gate. Maybe she decided to have a seat and rest a bit." Sei nodded and weaving her way through the crowd of former Roses approached the petite woman and squatted down before her. Several long moments passed before the former Rosa Gigantea got once more to her feet and then leaning in kissing the forehead of the elder woman before turning around and walked back over to them. Yumi could immediately tell that something wasn't right. "Sei," she said reaching out a placing a gently hand on her friends arm. "What is it?"

"She's passed," Sei softly explained in a hollow and empty voice as the first tears slipped free of her eyes and slid down her cheeks. Youko stepped in and embraced her lifelong friend whom she loved dearly, holding Sei till the tears finally stopped and she once more had control of herself. "Arigato, Youko."

"That's what friends are for," Youko said handing Sei a handkerchief she had just pulled from her own pocket. Youko was well aware of the special relationship that Sei had held with the older Sato woman. She knew that Sei was nowhere near done crying and that her friend was simply setting her feelings aside to deal with the matters currently at hand. "I'll call the authorities," Youko offered even as she slipped her cell phone from her pocket. Sei offered her a weak smile of gratitude. Leaning in Youko gave the light haired woman a kiss on the cheek and a gentle squeeze on her arm in reassurance that she wouldn't leave her to face this alone, before stepping away to place her call.

**-oOo-**

"Can't this wait till tomorrow, Yumi," Sachiko inquired without looking at the woman next to her as she regarded the work currently taking place around the outside of the Rose Mansion. The authorities had already come and removed Ochi-sama and the other roses had all eventual departed with words of sympathy. "I'm certain the church will understand the delay considering what happened today."

"I know Sachiko," Yumi replied with also watching the work progress. "It's not that simple though. Besides," she said turning to glance at the woman beside her, "The sooner the building is gone the better I think it will be." She didn't need to voice her concern that the building would just be a reminder of today's events. When the job proposal to demolish the Rose Mansion and design and erect a new building had come up Yumi had underbid the job to insure that the Fukuzawa firm won the contract. The fact that she herself was a former Lillian Alumna as well as a Rose had helped the matter as well. It was her own employees she was watching currently. "It's not the same Rose Mansion that it used to be." Once the old building was cleared away a new building would go up that would be specifically designed for those with physical challenges, making it easier for them to attend school at Lillian.

"I know," Sachiko had to agree with her. Where the building used to be one filled with laughter, love and life, it now looked old, worn out and utterly lifeless. As much as it pained her to admit it the building looked dead. "We certainly had some good times in there though didn't we?"

Yumi moved closer to the other woman and hugged Sachiko's arm to her own chest, laying her head gently upon her Onee-sama's shoulder just as she used to do. "The very best of times, Onee-sama."

"Yumi," Sachiko said after many long minutes of silence had passed between them. "Come home with me tonight."

Several more moments passed with no answer forth coming. "Alright," Yumi finally replied in a soft and weary tone of voice as Sachiko felt slim delicate fingers entwine with her own. Together, hand in hand, the two former Rosa Chinensis walked down the pathway lined with gingko trees and through the main gates of Lillian's Girls Academy. Behind them wood groaned and gave way as the walls that had housed countless students over its long life, buckled and finally gave way to time, falling inward. With a soft exhalation of air the roof collapsed in upon the structure without the walls there to support it. What had once been the shining hope for women was now little more than kindling. With a dying moan the timbers of the Rose Mansion settled and came to rest as the evening breeze carried away the soft gently sounds of young women's laughter.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

This was something out of the norm for me. I have to admit there were two spots in the story where I couldn't help but tear up while writing it. It really was painful to write (medical reasons aside) but I knew it had to be done.

This story itself was brought into being from hearing a single song on Pandora radio. If you visit YouTube and do a search for 'Paul Cardall Redeemer' and select the first one in the list you'll hear it. It's an instrumental piece on the piano with string accompaniment. I'd advise not listening to it while reading the tail end of the story.

For those of you waiting for the next chapter of Living The Dream, please see my profile.

As always, though certainly not required, I do appreciate any and all reviews.

Kind Regards,

EJ Daniels

All characters within this story, unless otherwise stated are the sole property of Oyuki Konno the original writer of the **_Maria-sama ga Miteru_** light novel series.

(071012 - 10292)


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